Not Another Mega TR... Update On Page 3

peter413

760 is a pretty good width though, most of the guys I ride with use 760 or below although I don't like it myself on a bike like this. 60mm is about normal, anything less is short and more is long. That's how I look at it anyway.

Both are pretty good start points IMO. The number of people I see using bars that are obviously too wide is ridiculous and I blame all this nonsense going around in magazines and what not that wider is always better and anything less than 800 is too narrow. Ok that's a little bit of an exaggeration but you get the idea. Even 760 is too wide for many.

ilovedirt

I ride renthals at stock width, whatever that is, 785mm? Feels perfect to me, but I'm not a small guy. Might as well spec wider bars if you can, it at least leaves the option of cutting them down.

rockmonkeysc

I also have 785 bars and I'm also a larger gentlemen, just feels right to me. I do have a 35mm stem though which most (normal) people would consider a touch short.
Nukeproof components are really good quality, after two years abuse the stem and seat post on my Scalp still look great

peter413

Mega's had a few new year treats. First was a full strip done including giving the fork and shock a quick service and new rear hub bearings. Surprisingly the frame bearings were still ok although most had no grease in and were a little rough. Ordered some new ones for when they wear out from Katec but for now I've just repacked them with grease. I know not the ideal thing to do but better than no grease.



The bars have also been replaced. The original ones cracked at the stem area matching the stem faceplate perfectly. Silverfish/Raceface replaced the bars without any issues though. Pretty sure the Funnduro is too sharp or something so I've refitted the Holzfeller and the Funnduro has become a nice paperweight. Really can't argue with Raceface's service. Silverfish weren't going to replace the bars saying I had obviously way overtightened the stem (I hadn't) but Raceface offered to replace them for free.

Other problem I had was one of the bolt heads cracked when putting the frame back together. Was obviously a fault as it wasn't at all tight. It was the small bolt at the rear of the seat stay for anyone wondering. Not a problem though, a quick email to CRC and they sent me the both bolts from both sides Special Delivery. Great service from them as always.

While replacing the hub bearings I obviously serviced the freehub. I found 3 of the pawl springs had snapped :shock: I had doubled them up though which is why I hadn't noticed. The newer springs are about half the size of the older ones. Luckily I had some spare so they got replaced.

Other than those couple of small problems everything is still perfect.

Also fitted one of those Maxxis Shorty's to the front. Still not used it but it looks like it should be great. Some have compared it to a Muddy Mary but comparing the two side by side they look nothing alike. Set up tubeless easily, is pretty sticky and not too heavy at just over 800g. Comes up slightly small though. When I first fitted it it measured 2.15" but it's stretched to 2.2" now however that's still smaller than the 2.3" it's meant to be. At least it still has a decent volume. Hoping this will make a good alternative to the Baron. First ride will be this weekend in the snow and mud I imagine, perfect conditions for it.

Finally the tart inside me just couldn't resist some new rotor bolts when I was buying everything for the Cube but I've only just fitted them.

ilovedirt

Nooooo not Katec bearings!

peter413

I've never had a problem with them or him. What's your issue with them?

rockmonkeysc

I had problems with them, lasted a few rides and I know others have had problems. I found out that they buy perfectly good bearings, pop out the seals and over pack them with a grease which is too heavy. Bearings need a light grease and not too much. Too much and it over loads the seals during use, too heavy and you get a tunnel in the grease where the bearings run and they don't get properly lubed.
There was a thread on ride.io a while ago with a few people who bought them and found they died very quickly, a few found that the seals had popped out.
I only use Koyo if I'm paying or SKF if there are some lying around at work.

ilovedirt

What he said ^ he takes good bearings and ruins them.

peter413

I've been using them for ages and always found them to last well so I'll carry on using them until I have issues. They're usually a fair bit cheaper than alternatives. I only paid about £3 a bearing. The ones that have just been replaced in the rear hub lasted more than twice as long as the ones Hope originally fitted and they didn't shatter like the Hope's.

If you can show me higher quality bearings for the same price though by all means point them out.

peter413

So I've had a couple of rides on the Shorty now so I thought I'd give my thoughts for anyone interested. I'm absolutely blown away by this tyre, it's exactly what I wanted. Basically I was after a better Baron and for me this is definitely it.

The last few rides have been over a huge range of surfaces. There was sticky mud, wet mud, ruts, rocks, roots, snow, ice, hardpack, loose, steep, narrow, fast, slow, tight, flat corners. Basically you name it, it's been around. The Shorty tamed it all. Compared to the Baron it looses out a little on hardpack but I was willing to sacrifice this if it made up for it in the slop. It does that and more. Exactly where the Baron would start to let go in the mud is where the Shorty is digging in and finding grip. Unlike the Baron as well the Shorty is far more forgiving when it lets go. The Baron had a habit of suddenly snapping out and you'd never get it back, the Shorty on the other hand just slides majestically giving you plenty of time to compose yourself. The Shorty digs in much more on flat and tight corners. I kept jumping up the inside of corners because the grip on offer was far more than I was used to. On steeper trails there was no contest, the Shorty just stuck. Roots and rocks were handled nicely thanks to the soft compound and there wasn't much squirm on handpacked trails. Now for the big surprise. This tyre is great on frozen ground. I'm not talking ice but when the ground is frozen solid. The Baron was pretty bad at this because of the big blocks but the Shorty made it like riding in the dry almost. Seriously I've never felt so comfortable riding those conditions before. The sidewalls are plenty stiff for an 800g-ish tyre meaning tyre pressures didn't have to be too high to still offer enough support on faster corners.

So is there anything bad? Well yes. True to form, Maxis have used the special ruler again. When first mounted it was only 2.15 inches wide. It has now stretched to a full 2.2 inches but that's still smaller than advertised. Also I would like a harder compound to be offered. It's a fairly sticky compound which is great but I can't see it lasting so well on the rear. It's also fairly expensive, it's more than I've ever paid for a DH tyre but that should hopefully come down over time.

This is not a fit and forget tyre. The Baron very nearly was for me but the Shorty is just that little bit worse on the hardpack sections to make it worthwhile switching tyres for a trail centre day. That's the problem with the Baron though, the Butcher is nearly as good up until the Shorty streaks ahead of the Baron.